Despite the situation, Rohan and Edriq chuckled. “Yup. She's his mate all right,” Edriq declared. “She knows him too well.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Zul tried to fight the darkness that was trying to swallow him whole. He could still see a faint glimmer of light, but that light was rapidly fading. He was sinking deeper and deeper into the horrible, icy darkness. The shadows lapped at him like waves, stretching for him, trying to drag him into their depths.
Zul strained and fought against the crushing tide. He refused to surrender to these insidious, whispering shadows. There was only one voice he wanted to hear.
“Zul! Zul, please, come back to me. Fight your way back to me, Zul!”
He jerked.
That was Kate's voice. She was calling him, begging him, crying for him.
He could hear her sobs and scent her tears, her pain.
No, Kate, don't cry…
Zul roared. He had to find his way back to her from this stinking darkness. He wanted to dry her tears, comfort her and hold her. He was no weakling! He wasn't going to just give up and leave his mate.
Zul thrashed and clawed his way towards the light, towards the sound of Kate's sweet voice.
He felt a sudden jolt of warmth in his hands. He could feel the strength and power returning to his hands, spreading up his arms to his body.
He knew that Kate was holding his hands.
Her touch was giving him strength.
Zul fought harder against the darkness that was trying to claim him. He was going to win this fight, for her.
An electrical charge seemed to be coursing through his body. His dragon stirred and struggled to rise. Zul raised his head. Above him, the darkness parted briefly. Just for an instant, he saw her face.
Kate's beautiful face glowed like a sun in the dark, cold world he was trapped in.
He tried to reach her but she was too far away. He could still see her and he saw that her tears were falling, falling, falling…
Then she leaned in and he tasted her tears and her soft, warm lips.
Her kiss awakened his dragon completely.
Zul felt his eyes snap open. The light was blinding, and he saw golden flames at the edge of his vision. He was looking at the world through the eyes of his dragon.
His dragon was in control right now. He was still in his human shape but his dragon had risen to the fore. His beast was in full predator mode. There was something his dragon wanted, needed, hungered for and the beast wasn't going to back off.
Zul's eyes swept round the room. He was in his bedroom, but everything had a strange golden glint to it. Even his old wooden desk at the corner of his room looked like it was gilded.
Zul saw everything through his dragon's burning, golden eyes. He felt the fierce, consuming desire and hunger of his dragon as the scent of its mate filled his senses.
Kate, his precious, beautiful mate was here, in his bedroom, with him.
She was sitting on his bed, and she stared fearlessly into his blazing eyes. She didn't move, didn't flinch, even when he grabbed her.
“Zul,” she whispered fiercely as he crushed her to him. “I'm here, Zul. I'm yours, and I will never leave you. So don't you leave me, don't you dare leave me!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Kate stared straight into Zul's blazing, golden eyes. She looked right at his dragon, and she wasn't afraid. His dragon was a part of him, and she knew that the magnificent, powerful beast would never hurt her.
Zul was sitting upright, the covers pooling around his waist. He was gripping her tightly by the shoulders, and she could feel the tips of his claws stabbing into her skin.
Still looking straight into his eyes, Kate carefully inched closer to him. She knew that it was her touch that had awakened his dragon. His dragon had the power to fight the venom and save Zul's life.
Kate slowly maneuvered herself until she was straddling him. Zul watched her with those feral, glowing eyes. She could feel his huge erection pulsing against her, and she forced a shuddering breath into her lungs.
A jolt of pure lust shot through her, and Kate whimpered at the growing, gnawing ache in her core. When Zul inhaled sharply and tightened his grip on her, she realized that he could scent her arousal.
Kate pressed herself nearer to him. If she could bring him back with her touch, she would press every inch of her body to him.
Swiftly, she pulled her t-shirt up over her head and removed her bra. Zul growled and jerked when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her bare breasts against his hot, hard chest. She could feel his heart pounding against hers, their breaths mingling as they breathed each other in.
Kate held Zul's face in both her hands and looked into his glowing eyes. Then she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the mouth.
Kate could feel the tremors coursing through Zul's powerful body but she didn't let him go. She kept kissing him, letting him know how much she wanted him.
Zul pressed her possessively to him as he took her mouth. His kiss was demanding, bruising and searing. Kate could feel the heat grow between them, the temperature rising until she could almost see flames at the edge of her hazy vision.
Kate moaned as Zul kneaded her heavy breasts and pushed his tongue deeper into her mouth.
As Zul continued touching her, Kate undid her zipper and tugged her jeans and panties down her legs. She kicked them off and straddled Zul again. She would give him as much of her as he needed. She wanted him to have all of her.
A growl erupted from his throat. Kate gasped as Zul threw her on her back. Kate didn't look away from him as she spread her legs for him. She was his to take. She already belonged to him. There was nothing she wouldn't give him. She was his, completely.
Kate gasped as Zul entered her with a hard thrust. She arched her back so that her breasts rubbed against his broad chest as he thrust in and out of her body.
Zul's eyes were still glowing like twin suns as he fucked her furiously. His skin was still burning hot but the purplish hue was fading from his skin.
Kate orgasmed repeatedly as Zul pounded into her. The sex was hot, hard and animalistic but it felt so good.
Zul roared and grabbed the back of her neck. He raised her mouth to his, and Kate gasped in shock when she felt a sudden, violent heat invade her body. She closed her eyes and clung to Zul, feeling the heat spread through all her nerves and set them alight. She began to shudder, but not from pain or fear. Her body was changing. She could feel it. It felt as if flames were wrapping around her body, burning her but not destroying her. The sensation was intense but not unpleasant, and Kate forced herself to open her eyes to see what was happening to her.
“Zul...” She gasped when she saw that he was breathing his dragon fire into her.
Zul's eyes opened slowly and Kate saw that his eyes were now clear, amber and fully human. “Zul! Oh, Zul,” she sobbed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Zul blinked and his vision returned to normal. He was no longer looking at the world through his dragon eyes. His room and everything in it stopped being so glaringly bright.
He looked down and the most beautiful sight met his eyes. Kate, naked beneath him, looked up at him with laughter and tears in her blue eyes.
“Oh Zul,” she whispered with a sob. “Zul, you came back. You came back to me...”
He kissed away her tears and hugged her. He realized that he was still tightly sheathed inside her feminine heat and he groaned in bliss. His body trembled as he began to rock into her.
Kate's body felt hot and Zul saw a red dragon-shaped mark forming just below her collar bone. She wore his mark. His dragon had claimed her with its dragon fire. Zul touched his claiming mark reverently. Kate was his. She had accepted his claiming fire and she had survived. Her body was changing, becoming stronger and her lifespan would now match his.
“You are my mate, Kate,” he said, kissing her.
“I know,” she wh
ispered. “I know.”
“You saved me. You saved my life, Kate,” Zul said, holding her close to his heart.
“I don't want to lose you,” she said, wrapping her arms around him. “Ever.”
“You won't,” he promised. “I will always come home to you. Always. I came back from the dead, didn't I?”
Kate punched his arm. “You weren't dead!”
“The venom dragged me almost all the way to the Dark Dragon's lair. But I heard your voice and felt your touch. You guided me back from the darkness, Kate.” He kissed her tenderly.
“How do you feel now?” she asked, putting a hand to his forehead. “Your temperature has gone down significantly.”
“I feel amazing,” he crowed and looked down at their joined bodies.
Kate blushed furiously.
Zul kissed her again. “I want to make love to you every day, for the rest of my life, Kate. I will make you happy, Kate. Believe me, I will make you the happiest you've ever been, every single day.”
“I believe you, Zul,” she said softly. “I love you.”
He inhaled her scent deeply. “I love you so much, Kate.”
They made love, slowly, tenderly, savoring and enjoying each other. Zul could feel his dragon fire burning through him as well. It was the same fire that bound his mate to him. The fire burned in his blood, neutralizing the venom and returning his strength to him.
The Slayors' venom was deadly but the claiming fire of a dragon held great healing powers, for the dragon as well as the dragon's mate. It was love's greatest weapon, and it could fight and overcome almost anything to bind two hearts, two souls together.
Zul felt his strength and power increasing as the last traces of venom disappeared from his body.
He held Kate and buried himself deeply inside her lush, curvy, perfect body. He hid a smug smile when he thought of the many ways he was going to pleasure this luscious female of his.
They climaxed together and Kate whimpered when Zul reluctantly withdrew from her.
She began to fumble for her clothes. “We should let your brothers know that you're okay. They were so worried! I'm going to tell them right now. They...”
Chuckling, Zul pulled her to him and kissed her forehead. “You don't have to go anywhere. Just get dressed because they'll be coming soon.” Zul raised a finger and said sagely, “My brothers will be hammering on my door in...” He glanced at the digital clock on his bedside. “Three...two...one...”
Right on cue, his bedroom door started to shake. In fact, his whole room was shaking. Kate had to cover her ears at the thunderous pounding.
“Zul! Zul! Hey, open up! Let us in! We know you're awake!” Rohan and Edriq yelled together, banging relentlessly at his door. “We heard your dragon!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Zul checked his weapons and strode out to the lawn where Rohan and Edriq were waiting for him. “You ready?” Rohan asked.
“More than ready,” Zul snarled. “Let's go hunt some Slayors. I wish we could get rid of all those snakes once and for all. This war has gone on for too long.”
Edriq raised a brow. “I thought you live for the action, the gore and the sheer pleasure and excitement of killing the Slayors.”
“I did,” Zul answered and glanced back at the house. “But now I live for something else, someone else.” He dropped his voice and murmured, “I don't want her to worry for me. She's been through enough.”
Rohan and Edriq broke into wide grins. “Spoken like a mated male,” Rohan said, clapping him on the back. “My brother, all grown up and mated.”
“I never thought I'd live to see the day,” Edriq quipped.
Zul made a face at him and grumbled, “Are we just going to stand around and gossip, or are we going hunting?”
His brothers laughed. Zul knew his brothers were just serving him a slice of his own pie. He had teased his brothers mercilessly when they found their mates and pranked them so often that he knew they wouldn't pass up this opportunity to get him back.
One by one they shifted into dragon form and launched themselves into the night sky. Zul glanced back at the mansion as he took off.
His family was inside. Kate had moved in, and his sisters-in-law and his little Princess Tessa all lived in this large, beautiful house. He wanted more for his family and his people. The Dracans were a resilient, courageous people. Even the civilians like Jae did their best to fight back against the Slayors.
The war had followed them across the galaxies to Earth. It was time his people had peace. But as long as the Slayors hunted them, they would never have peace. He and his brothers would have to hunt the Slayors and destroy those snakes before they killed another civilian.
Zul knew that Kate worried for him. She had smiled bravely and told him to be careful before he left, but he could see the fear in her eyes. She had almost lost him, and he never wanted her to go through the same trauma and terror again. Yet every night when he left to hunt the Slayors and protect his people, she feared for his safety. He could be wounded, maimed or killed by his enemies. As his mate, she could feel his pain if he was hurt, and while he could bear even the most excruciating, agonizing physical pain, he could never bear for Kate to share his suffering.
Zul bared his deadly, serrated dragon teeth as he gained altitude. He soared towards the clouds and watched Rohan and Edriq veer off to patrol their own routes. He wanted to kill every single Slayor, but he realized that even if they destroyed all the Slayors that had been sent to Earth, the Syndorian Emperor would just send another platoon of these savage killers to Earth.
The fucking Emperor could send his whole goddamn army here. Zul swore he would kill them all. He would make sure every single one of those shits burned in hell! Well, he would burn them on Earth with his dragon fire, but he liked Earth and he didn't like polluting the Earth's atmosphere with the stinking ashes of the Slayors. He had grown to love his adopted planet and was protective of its inhabitants. He really wished there was a way to drive the Slayors away from Earth forever.
Zul flew to Kate's old apartment building and watched the streets. He saw Jae open a window and wave to him. In dragon form, he and his brothers were invisible to the humans but the Dracans could still see them.
Zul let out a small stream of fire in greeting. His brothers had returned to Jae's place and incinerated the carcasses of those dead Slayors. He was impressed that Jae hadn't moved out and found himself a new place to stay. It would take more than a bunch of Slayors to dislodge an old Dracan. This was his home and he was staying put. Anyone who tried anything funny was going to have to deal with his saucepans. To show Zul how serious he was, Jae raised his shiny saucepans and shook them threateningly. It seemed the old man had bought some new pots and pans to deal with the Slayors.
Zul tipped his head to salute the feisty Dracan and flew off. He would not let his people and his mate down. He wasn't going to let the Slayors win.
Draca's Dragons would finish what the Syndorians started. They would end the war.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Zul grew increasingly suspicious and frustrated as he scanned the landscape below. He wanted a blood bath tonight. He wanted to spill a whole ocean of black blood to release his rage.
But there was not a single Slayor in sight. No damn snakes were slithering around the shadows, invading the homes of Dracans and trying to kill innocent civilians. It seemed the Slayors had all...vanished.
He remembered the humans had a saying: If something is too good to be true…
The humans were wise indeed. No wonder so many Dracans had found human mates. The two races were truly very compatible.
Zul reached out with his mind to his brothers.
Any Slayor sightings so far?
Edriq replied immediately. None.
Rohan, anything at your end? Zul probed. When there was no response, Zul continued: Hello, Your Royal Highness! Where are you? Are you having fun without us?
After a silence, Edriq asked urgently: Rohan, tell us what you see.
They're here. He is here.
Who is here? Zul and Edriq asked together.
The Slayors, all of them. And...the Emperor. The Syndorian Emperor has just landed.
Zul immediately engaged his dragon senses and locked onto Rohan's exact location.
Rohan, don't do anything until we get there, Edriq warned. Do not take on the Slayors by yourself.
I'm watching them, but if I see an opening, I'm taking it, Rohan said. This is a chance to end the war. I won't pass up the chance.
Rohan!
Zul beat his wings harder, gaining speed and altitude. He agreed with Rohan. Of the three of them, Edriq was the most cautious. As Rohan's royal guards, their duty was to protect their king. Edriq was right in stopping Rohan from throwing himself into danger but Zul knew that Rohan wouldn't let something as trivial as danger stop him.
Rohan was a king but he was also a warrior, like them. This was the perfect opportunity. Zul had often dreamed of assassinating the Syndorian Emperor but the bastard was light years away. But now that the Emperor had come all the way from Korra to Earth, Zul wasn't letting him leave Earth. That piece of shit would die and rot here, for all the lives, human and Dracan, that he had destroyed.
Zul flew westward, leaving the city behind him. The buildings and houses began to thin and gradually disappear. Lights winked and vanished, and even the headlights of vehicles on the lonely highways soon faded.
He flew above the trees, listening to the sounds of the forest below. The forest was a busy, bustling place at night. Animals, birds of prey, insects came out to hunt when darkness fell.
Earth was an amazing, mysterious, wondrous place. Over the decades, Zul had learned as much as he could about Earth and its inhabitants. He kept up easily with popular culture and took to technology like a duck to water. He loved updating the Blazing Beans Facebook page and posting pictures of all their wonderful, new coffee products. He was the Managing Director, but he enjoyed the marketing aspect of the business tremendously. His marketing manager, a very clever, capable human woman, had gotten used to him wandering over to her office to discuss a new marketing idea he had just come up with. She listened politely, but she never hesitated to tell him if she thought some of his ideas were rubbish.
To Love A Dragon: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance (Weredragon Warriors Book 3) Page 7